| The CRYPT Mag |
Your PC has a motherboard with a CMOS clock (a clock Windows reads at regular intervals), powered by a coinlike battery, usually a CR2032 type.
Why is this important? Because either the battery is running low, or Windows 98 seems to lose time because your PC is always on.
To check if that small battery is running low, do the following:
1. Run a MS-DOS prompt (Start > Programs > MS-DOS prompt)
2. At the DOS prompt, type time, then press Enter.
3. Compare this time with the time displayed on the Systray (the clock on the bottom right, the Windows clock).
4. Type exit and press Enter to quit the DOS box.
If there is a difference between both values, the battery should be replaced. Please refer to your motherboard's manual or manufacturer.
If the CMOS battery is OK,the time loss is due to Windows 98 itself. Microsoft reports that it is an issue that affects Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, and Me.
To troubleshoot your problem, do the following:
1. Disable APM (Advanced Power Management) in your BIOS. Please refer to the manual of your board find out how to enter your BIOS (usually by hitting the Delete key) and disable APM. It is usually quite easy. Then, let Windows manage APM instead: Open the Control Panel, click Power Management, and select the settings you want for APM.
2. As a CPU is sometimes under a heavy load, please check that you are not using the following software, which can cause Windows 98 not to check the CMOS time regularly:
- Antivirus
- Screensavers
- System utilities
- Scheduled applications or "heavy" applications running in the background
- And, generally, any CPU-consuming applications
Disable the CPU-consuming application(s), except for the antivirus app; you wouldn't have your PC without one, right? Then if you conclude that it is the antivirus program, try a different one instead, perhaps a free one, such as AVG Anti-Virus.
3. If you can't identify which application(s) is not permitting Windows 98 to check the BIOS clock at regular intervals, try to reboot your PC once a day. (It is not a solution, just a workaround.)
4. Finally, if all this fails, try to install an application that sets your Windows clock from an atomic clock server (you may find the right one for your PC at CNET Download.com).
Anyway, never, ever install one of the so-called atomic clocks you may find while surfing the Net (such as a message that may read: "Do you want to run and install [supposed atomic clock program]?" They usually are malware (like dialers, spyware, and so on) that will affect your PC. Instead, choose an appropriate one from a reputable and clean download source.
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